Digital Commons Network^™

Hot Topic: Federal And State Standard Mileage Rates Announced, Dick Phebus

MTAS Publications: Hot Topics

Summary of changes in the 2006 federal and state reimbursement rates for mileage.

Poverty And The Daily Lives Of Infants, Terri Combs-Orme, Daphne S. Cain

Social Work Publications and Other Works

It has been amply demonstrated that poor children suffer disadvantages as compared to their more advantaged peers. This paper examines important aspects of infants’ daily experiences in a southeastern city in the United States in order to illustrate differences between poor and non-poor infants. ‘‘Poor’’ infants were compared to their ‘‘non-poor’’ counterparts on the quality of parenting they received; quality of their home environments; relative health and safety; stability, structure, and predictability of their daily lives; and exposure to diverse experiences in the community. Findings reveal that poor infants are at a consistent disadvantage across all domains when compared to …

Performance Still Matters: Explaining Trust In Government In The Dominican Republic, Rosario Espinal, Jonathan Hartlyn, Jana Morgan

Political Science Publications and Other Works

What explains low levels of trust in government institutions in democratizing Latin American countries? We examine this question in the Dominican Republic, employing data from three surveys conducted over 1994-2001. Our analysis finds that trust in government institutions is shaped primarily by perceptions of economic and political performance by government. There is little evidence of a relationship between civic engagement and institutional trust, and no relationship between democratic values and institutional trust. We find a curvilinear effect between socioeconomic status and institutional trust, with middle-sector groups significantly less trusting of government institutions than either the poor or the wealthy. Age …

Naturalistic Observation For Understanding Users: How Technology Professionals Use And Communicate Information, Suzie Allard, Kenneth J. Levine, Carol Tenopir, Shalini Urs

School of Information Sciences -- Faculty Publications and Other Works

This study examines how design engineers and technical professionals (hereafter referred to as engineers) in innovative high‐tech firms in the U.S. and India communicate and use information in their daily work activities including research, development, and management. By observing engineers in the workplace, it extends our understanding of the engineering workplace, and the information environment in the workplace. This study will provide information useful for improving communication and information methods for accessing information and communicating in the workplace, which will ultimately lead to better job performance, facilitate innovation, and encourage economic growth. This poster focuses on the methodology the researchers …

Being User-Oriented: Convergences, Divergences, And The Potentials For Systematic Dialogue Between Disciplines And Between Researchers, Designers, And Providers, Brenda Dervin, Karen Fisher, Eric Meyers, Charles Naumer, Marilyn Ostergren, Carol Tenopir, Kreetta Askola, Louann F. Blocker, Carly Hamlett, Timothy Lepczyk, Ashley Mcconnell, Anthony Schlagel, Kelli Y. Williams, Andrew Dillon, Lorraine Normore, Tingting Lu, Shannon Hoste, Troy Elias, Peter H. Jones, Carrielynn D. Reinhard, Bethany Simunich, Donald Case, Melissa A. Gardner, Gary K. Hughes, Jennifer L. Robinette, Robert J. Trader, Granger H. Butler, Melissa D. Davis, Sarah M. Donaldson, Susan M. Finley, Betsy A. Law, Anne E. Ledford, Christina Joy Mark, Nancy R. Marshall, Krista M. Mcmanis, Jennifer Paul, Sarah F. Pratt, Latisha M. Reynolds, Kathryn P. Sexton, Roberta D. Shannon, Sara Fowdy Strange

School of Information Sciences -- Faculty Publications and Other Works

The challenge this panel addresses is drawn from intersecting literature reviews and critical commentaries focusing on: 1) user studies in multiple fields; and 2) the difficulties of bringing different disciplines and perspectives to bear on user‐oriented research, design, and practice. 1

The challenge is that while we have made some progress in collaborative work, we have some distance to go to become user‐oriented in inter‐disciplinary and inter‐perspective ways. The varieties of our approaches and solutions are, as some observers suggest, an increasing cacophony. One major difficulty is that most discussions are solution‐oriented, offering arguments of this sort ‐‐ "if only …